In "The Christians," a pastor of a massive megachurch shares an epiphany with his congregation of thousands: Everybody is saved; heroes and Hitler go to heaven.

Huh? That's a 180-degree turn from what he's been feeding his faith-hungry flock. In short order, all hell breaks loose.

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Those are the basics of Lucas Hnath's intriguing if not exactly illuminating look at irreconcilable differences within faith and family. Directed by Les Waters, it's told with style and a 20-member chorus, whose voices blend in harmonies as bright as their choir robes.

The play reinforces the reputation of Hnath, a rising writer, as a dramatist who likes to stir the pot. In "A Public Reading of an Unproduced Screenplay About the Death of Walt Disney," he scratched at the murky side of the Magic Kingdom. By turning his lens on religion, he's moved to a bigger kingdom.

Designer Dane Laffrey's realistic sanctuary establishes the sense of place. Playing pastor Paul, a charismatic and convincing Andrew Garman is a man who loves the sound of his own voice — even when listeners hate what he's saying. Paul, like every character, always uses a microphone, underscoring the sense that everything's a performance. The entire play unfolds in the front of the church.

After Paul's shocking announcement, associate pastor Joshua (Larry Powell) leaves immediately, taking 50 members with him. Church elder Jay (Philip Kerr) tries to do damage control, as choir member and poor single mom Jenny (Emily Donahoe) asks Paul why he waited until the church was out of debt to reveal his change of mind. Paul's wife Elizabeth (Linda Powell), who's silent until the 90-minute show's final half hour, turns the conversation into less than scintillating back-and-forth about marital miscommunication.

Wisely, Hnath doesn't attempt resolutions. But you can bank on this Playwrights Horizons production to make you think. As a conversation-starter, it's a little bit of heaven.